All I Need Is You
by tiny dancer
Summary: *Complete!* This is an H/H ship, where they have to keep their new romance a secret from everyone. My first ever ff!
1. The Reunion

_Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters. JK does. This is just for fun, k? _

"Harry! Harry, dear, over here!" called out a familiar voice.

Harry Potter turned and saw a red-haired woman moving in closer to him. "Hi, Mrs. Weasley," he greeted happily. He remembered why he thought of her as one of his favourite people as she wrapped him in a huge hug, kissed his cheek and smiled as though he was one of her own.

"Hello, Ginny," he said to the pretty girl, also a red head, standing behind her mother. 

"Hi, Harry." She blushed furiously at the sight of him.

Now seventeen, Harry had finally grown a few inches. His jet-black hair was as unruly as ever and his bottle green eyes looked even brighter behind his glasses. With broad shoulders and strong arms from Quidditch training, Harry was pleased with his appearance.

"Where's Ron? And Mr. Weasley?" Harry asked. Ron was one of his best friends in the whole world, but his terrible relatives with whom he lived forbade Harry to visit his friends over the summer holidays.

"They'll be along in a minute," Mrs. Weasley replied. "Arthur let Ron drive to the train station."

Harry felt his eyes widen. "How was it?"

"Well, we're here, and that's all that counts," she answered briskly.

Ginny giggled furiously before switching topics. "Have you seen Hermione yet?"

Hermione Granger was Harry's other best friend. She was very pretty, with brown hair, darker, warm brown eyes and a beautiful smile. She was also incredibly intelligent, recently making Head Girl at their school of witch craft and wizardry, Hogwarts.

Harry had never told anyone, but he had a crush on her. He wasn't sure when it had started; all he knew was that it existed. Some time during the previous year, he'd fallen for her. 

"I reckon she's on Platform 9¾," Harry said. "The Head Girl and Boy usually help the first years get onto the train."

"Ron! Arthur! Over here!" Mrs. Weasley cried out suddenly, standing on her tiptoes and waving frantically. 

Through the crowd parted two people, both with flaming red hair to match Mrs. Weasley and Ginny. Ron was taller than his father, though not by much. He was pushing a trolley similar to Harry's. 

"Hi, Harry," he said, a grin spreading on his face. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Those ruddy Muggle relatives of yours," Mr. Weasley muttered. "Ron told us all about them. Tough break, spending all summer with them."

Harry nodded. "I did manage to get a job. I went to Gringott's yesterday and exchanged my money." He turned to grin at Ron. "Can't wait until Hogsmeade," he said in a lowered voice. 

"Oh, my! It's almost eleven. Hurry, get on the train," Mrs. Weasley said. Without warning she started to cry. "My little Ronniekins! His last year at Hogwarts!" she wailed, hugging her son fiercely. 

Ron's faced suddenly matched the colour of his hair. "Mum!"

Ginny giggled and went to hug her father. "Bye, Daddy," she said.

Ron had evidently freed himself from his mother's grasp, because Mrs. Weasley was hugging Harry.

"Take care, dear. Have a wonderful last year. Be careful, and watch out for Ron, will you?"

"Will do," Harry promised, trying not to laugh as he hear Ron protesting, "Mum!" 

A few minutes later, the good-byes had been said, the trio disappeared into the barrier and got on the Hogwarts Express.

*

Hermione ran quickly through compartment after compartment, looking for friends. As she slid into the very last one, a smile lit up her face.

_Should've guessed,_ she thought. "Ron!" she exclaimed. "Harry! I'm so happy to see you!"

"Hermione!" they chorused. All three laughed as she leaned in to hug Ron, then Harry.

Her heart fluttered excitedly as she held onto Harry. She could feel her pulse quickening and prayed her face wasn't turning red.

"You guys look so…so different!" she said, taking a step backwards. Indeed, Harry looked different. Ron looked the same, only older. But as for Harry…

He looked even more handsome than she remembered. His dark hair fell into his eyes slightly, and it was hard to tell which made the other feature gleam. He was taller than she and his shoulders were very broad. 

The three friends sat down. Harry looked out the window and said glumly, "Our last ride to Hogwarts."

Ron looked at him in horror. "Are you telling me you actually want to stay in school for longer than you have to?"

"It's my home, Ron," Harry answered, still watching the scenery roll by.

"Yeah, and it's Snape's home too!" Ron pointed out. "Look on the bright side. Even if we are leaving Hogwarts in June, for good, we'll be leaving Snape behind. And Malfoy."

Harry smiled vacantly. "Yeah, I guess."

"Cheer up, Harry," Hermione said. "It's only September!" 

Harry finally tore his gaze from the window and met her eyes. A genuine smiled lit his face, sending a jolt straight to her heart. "You're right."

She blushed furiously. Aware she was flaming red, she jumped up from her seat. "I've got to go do something…Head Girl duties, you know." Miraculously, neither stopped her from rushing to the luggage department of the train.

Hermione took a few long, deep breaths to calm herself down. _Just friends,_ she thought with each intake. _Just friends, just friends, just friends…_

Ok, this is the first chapter! Hope you all like it. The next one will be longer, hopefully. Please R/R! Thanks!!! 


	2. Almost Doesn't Count

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Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters. JK Rowling does. I wish I did, though.

Later that same night Harry sat by the fire. The Gryffindor common room had all but emptied. It was his first night back to the castle. His last first night.

He was sick at heart of the idea of leaving Hogwarts. It was his home, more so than the house he'd lived in for the last sixteen years. Once June came, he'd have to leave. He probably would never see Ron or Hermione ever again…

"Harry? What are you still doing up?" asked a voice from behind. Harry recognized the voice as Hermione's. His heart sped up slightly.

"I'm just thinking. How about you?"

She made her way to the vacant beside him and plopped down. "I'm worried about school. All these decisions we have to make. It's overwhelming, you know?"

Harry nodded. "I know exactly what you mean. I don't even want to think about next year."

Hermione smiled. "Like I said on the train, it's only September. I reckon we're worrying over nothing."

He sighed. "I guess you're right. We should just enjoy being seventh years. You should enjoy being Head Girl."

She laughed. "And you should enjoy getting to use the Head Girl's bathroom, right?"

"Well, if you insist," he joked. They both laughed, their voices echoing in the empty room. It was then that Harry truly realized they were alone.

Hermione seemed to notice, because the smile slid off her face, but never broke eye contact. Harry felt his breath quicken. She was close, she a few inches away. Did she want the same thing?

"Harry," she began softly. 

He nodded slightly, and their heads moved closer. Their lips were millimeters when suddenly—

"Crookshanks!" she shrieked, leaping out of her chair. The ginger cat had jumped on her lap, taking them both by surprise. The cat gave Harry a menacing look before streaking off towards the girls' dorm.

They laughed nervously, but the damage was done. The moment was over before it had really started. 

"It's getting late. I should get to bed. Good night, Harry."

"Good night, Hermione."

*

Surprisingly, Hermione had actually gotten some sleep last night. When she awoke in the morning, a dreamy smile lit her face. Though nothing had actually happened between her and Harry, it almost had. Almost was better than nothing. 

She made herself ready for the first day of classes and headed downstairs to eat some breakfast. Ron was sitting by himself, nearly inhaling his breakfast, but Harry was no where in sight.

"Good morning!" she said cheerily.

"Mo-ning," Ron said thickly through a mouthful of bacon.

"Really, Ron, could you please swallow next time?"

"Wight. Sowwy." Ron gave her a closed mouth grin that Hermione found herself returning.

She and Ron had been through a lot. Almost two years ago, they became a couple. The relationship was fine, but fell short of a year. They started fighting a lot—more than usual—and mutually decided to end it. They both agreed that in order to save their friendship, their relationship would have to end. 

It had been awkward for a while, and they probably wouldn't be friends right now if it hadn't been for Harry. He had been the glue that held them together. And thinking of Harry..

"Where's Harry?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

Ron pointedly swallowed his mouthful of breakfast before answering. "I don't know. Still sleeping, I reckon. He got to sleep late last night. He wasn't there before I fell—oh, wait, he's coming in now."

Hermione turned and watched him come in. He did look tired, but still unbelievably handsome. The thought of what could've happened the night before sent her heart fluttering.

"Good morning," he said as he sat beside Ron. He hadn't even looked at her.

All the way through breakfast, Hermione tried to get him to say something to her directly, but it was impossible. He kept his head down, ate his breakfast and answered with one word answers. Never once did they make eye contact.

The bell rang, and the three had to go to Transfiguration. Harry jumped up and left Hermione and Ron by themselves. Ron didn't seem to care, but Hermione was fighting back tears. 

_That's it, then. Whatever last night was, it's over. It was all just some stupid mistake. He doesn't like me that way! We're only friends. That is, if last night didn't ruin our friendship for good._

Hermione gave a dry sob. "Tell Professor McGonagall I'll be right there, I forgot my wand," she said to Ron. Hesitating long enough to make sure Ron heard, she turn and ran for the nearest bathroom, where she collapsed into the first stall in a heap of tears.

Yeah, ok, I know, it's not really good right now…don't really like how this chapter turned out, but oh well. It'll get better, I promise! 


	3. In the Common Room

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Disclaimer: You know who owns the Harry Potter characters. (And it isn't me.)

**Wow!!! Positive reviews! Yay! Thank you very much to RocketSolarCat, Maree, onerios lykos, Midnightkat, Lily, Beanie, Peaches n Cream and Lil' Hermione, you're all too sweet! Thanks again, love to you all!! Lol**

For the next week, Harry and Hermione avoided each other. Harry hated himself for doing it, but he couldn't help it. Hermione was his best friend, what on earth had possessed him to try and kiss her? 

Though he avoided her, he didn't stop thinking about her. Day and night, she dominated his thoughts. He was beginning to lose sleep; he knew if this behaviour kept up much longer, his marks would begin to drop. 

Harry was in love. He knew it. He was in love with one of his best friends. During Potions one week later after the incident, Harry weighed out his options.

He could tell her, or he could let it slip and spend the rest of the year, and possibly the next several years of his life, trying it ignore it.

_Tell her. Definitely. _Yet he shuddered at the thought of it.

__

But there were risks. And chances are, he realized somberly, that she would tell him they were just friends.

_Or it could be one the best things that'll ever happen to me._

He sneaked a look at Hermione, who was sitting a few desks away, working with a surly-looking Slytherin girl. Hermione had been looking at him, but just as their eyes connected, she quickly looked away. 

Harry waited until class was over to talk to Ron. He pulled him aside as they made their way to Herbology. 

"Ron, what would you do if you liked a girl and wanted to tell her, but was pretty sure that she didn't like you that way?" Harry cut to the chase.

Ron's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Who do you like?"

"That's not important. Just tell me, what would you do?"

"Well…" Ron began, obviously thinking hard. "I guess, if I really liked her, I would have to tell her." He shrugged uncertainly. "Is it Cho Chang?" he asked.

Harry made a face. "No," he answered shortly. Cho Chang was Harry's ex-girlfriend. At 18 years old, she was supposed to have already graduated from Hogwarts. However, at the end of her fifth year, her boyfriend was murdered.

Naturally it was a horrible experience for her, but to everyone's surprise, she went off the deep end. Mid-way during September of her sixth year, Professor Dumbledore suggested that she take as much time off as she needed to deal with Cedric Diggory's death.

For the last month of his fifth year and for a large portion of his sixth, Harry dated Cho. Their relationship ended, however, when she said she "didn't like him 'that way' anymore." 

"Well, who is it?" Ron asked eagerly.

"I'm not going to tell you."

"If you're not going to tell me, then how do you expect to tell her?" Ron countered.

_Good point_, Harry thought. "I don't know, I'm going to…look, just forget I mentioned it, all right?"

"All right. If you say so," Ron said. Harry looked at him; Ron was fighting off laughter."Oh, shut up," Harry muttered, but even so, he couldn't help laugh with him. They'd been best friends for years. Shouldn't he be able to tell him anything?

"It's…" Harry began. Ron looked up. "It's time for Herbology," Harry said, chickening out.

That night, hours after everyone had gone to sleep, Hermione was once again sitting by the fire. This time, Harry wasn't there. He hadn't been sitting in a chair when she came down, as she hoped he would be. No, tonight, she was by herself.

She stared into the fire, not really seeing it. Why did she have to care so much? And why had she fallen for her best friend? Why did it have to be Harry, of all people? 

She sighed miserably. The more she avoided thinking about it, the more it haunted her. She was in love with him. She had been for a long time. But it wasn't the same type of love she thought it would've been. It wasn't like the fairytale romances she'd grown up with. Instead of making her happy, it was pulling her down. It was extra weight.

Hermione sat there for a while, until she realized how late it was. Luckily it was Friday night—or rather, Saturday morning—and she didn't have classes. As she headed for her dorm, she noticed Harry standing in the stairwell.

"Harry!" she said, surprised. "What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep," he answered, coming closer to her.

"Neither could I," she said softly. She dared to look into his eyes. 

There was something there. Something she had never seen in his eyes. They were still bright and brilliantly green, but there was something else. She looked deeper into them. What was it? 

"Harry," she began. It was almost a flashback of last week, but this time, it was real. She knew what was going to happen.

He kissed her. Just like that. The briefest, lightest kiss possible. He stepped back.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, turning red. "I've wanted to do that for a long time."

Hermione put her hands in his. He looked up curiously at her, but held onto her hands. She moved closer to him and this time, she kissed him.

Their lips met each other's. His lips were soft and warm on hers. It started out slowly and tenderly, but as the time went by, the kiss grew more intense. Passionate.

Harry released her hands so he could pull her closer. Her arms slid up to his shoulders. She held on tightly, scared to let go and find it was just a dream. But as he held onto her just as tightly, she knew it was real.

Finally they drew apart slightly, but didn't let go. She leaned against his forehead. "I've wanted to do _that _for a long time," she admitted.

He laughed softly. "Then why didn't we do this a long time ago?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"Will it happen again?" he wanted to know.

"It will."

Yay, I finished chapter three! I hope it wasn't too fluffy or too rushed or anything. Ch 4 coming soon! 


	4. Waiting for Tonight

A/N: Thank you thank you thank you to CandyHeart, onerios lykos, Jess, RocketSolarCat, Fatima, Jo, a.potter and everyone else who has reviewed! You guys are the best! 

onerios lykos asked about Voldie…I would really like to incorporate him, but I'm trying to make this authentic as possible but I can't do that without knowing what happened to him. So, Voldie will not make an appearance in this story. Harry beat him one final time, he's gone, yay!

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Disclaimer: You know how it goes. This is just for fun. JK Rowling actually owns Harry Potter and the others.

A/N: Oh! And be warned, this will be fluffier than the last chapter. 

~

Harry was awash with happiness the next day. He hadn't been planning on kissing Hermione, but he was definitely glad he did. But he was even gladder that she wanted to kiss him, that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

He hummed as he made his way to the common room. Things couldn't have turned out better if he'd planned it.   
Oh, how he couldn't wait to see her again! He thought of what would happen once he got her alone. 

But, as he entered the very room that he'd kissed her in, it looked like it would be a while before that would happen. She was sitting in a chair next to Ron, talking about something. 

"Hello," he said, interrupting their conversation. He avoided sitting too close to her or meeting her eyes. It would give it away.

"Hello," they replied normally. 

"You got to bed late last night," Ron commented. "Did you go out somewhere?"

"Uh," was the only reply Harry could think of. Instead of coming up with an excuse, he simply said "What makes you sure I was out?"

Ron looked at him as though he'd gone crazy. "I woke up and noticed you were gone, and I saw you come back in."

"I was in the bathroom."

Ron laughed. "Some trip. You were gone at least twenty minutes."

"He was with a girl, I bet," Hermione said. 

"A girl? _The_ girl?" Ron asked, almost excitedly.

Harry dared to look at Hermione. With one quick glance, he knew she'd revealed nothing about the night before.

"Yeah, the girl." 

"So she's in Gryffindor! Is it Lavender? It's Lavender, isn't it?"

"Er," Harry replied.

"Just tell us who it is!" Ron pleaded. "We're you're friends."

"It was…never mind." Harry was planning on making up some girl, which would keep Ron occupied. But as he caught the expression on Hermione's face, he changed his mind. He didn't want to upset her in any way, nor did he want to purposely mislead Ron.

"I've got to go to the library. See you boys later," Hermione said. She raised her eyebrows slightly at him, which Harry read as "follow me."

He let her go a few minutes ahead of her before telling Ron, "Argh, she's got some notes I wanted to copy. I'd better go catch up to her."

Ron shrugged and picked up a book, which Harry recognized as _Quidditch Through The Ages. _"Suit yourself. If you want to spend Saturday in the library…" Ron let his voice trail off.

"Tell you what. As soon as I'm done in the library, we can practice Quidditch."

"All right. Have fun," Ron said dubiously. 

Harry felt bad about lying to Ron, but the thought of Hermione waiting for him pushed the guilt out of his mind. He hurried out the portrait and found her leaning against the stone wall.

"Hi," he said awkwardly. 

She smiled slightly but said nothing. It was weird for her, too.

He made a move to hold her hand, but she jerked back slightly. "I'm sorry, Harry," she said quietly. "It's just so new to me. I've wanted this for a long time."

"Me too." 

"I hope I live up to your expectations," she said, her smile widening.

"Don't worry. You already have." She blushed, which made Harry grin. He loved making her blush like that. She looked around the deserted hallway before kissing him quickly on the cheek.

"You think that lives up to my expectations? Try again, Granger." He tried not to laugh.

"Harry, not here. Someone could see us."

"Then where?"

"The common room. Tonight. After everyone's gone to bed."

Harry smiled. "I can live with that. In the meantime, we'd better get to the library. I told Ron I needed to copy something from you."

Together they walked to the library, walking a little bit closer to each other than they once had and occasionally brushing each other's hand. Once in the library, they found the most secluded spot.

He sat across from her, wishing he could sit beside her without arising suspicion. Then he could put his arms around her, and then…

"What are we going to do about this?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"This. Us. Are we going to--?"

"Going to what?"

"Are we going to tell anybody?" she asked, leaning in so he could hear her hushed voice.

"Oh," he said. He leaned in too. "Well, maybe we could. But it's probably better that we keep this secret. Just until, you know, we get more comfortable with it."

She nodded, but she didn't lean back. Harry took this as an invitation. He reached across the table and kissed her, the way he had last night. They spent a few minutes like this, until they heard footsteps.

Panicked, they both nearly jumped back into their seats and opened books at random pages. By the time the footsteps were level with them, they were both sitting there with heads bent down, writing normally and sitting in silence.

It turned out to be someone they didn't know who just happened to walk by their table. Harry stole a glance at her; she looked just as relieved as he felt.

"Maybe it's best we wait until tonight," he said.

She nodded. 

*

Tonight was an eternity away for Hermione. It was one of the hardest days for her to get through; including the days not long ago when she thought Harry was avoiding her. 

She had wanted to curse the Slytherin boy who'd walked by their table in the library. It had been a perfect moment, Harry's lips on hers, his hands holding her face gently. She wished she and Harry could announce it to the world: they were together.

But she couldn't. The idea of the whole school knowing her business made her insides squirm. She could've cared less if Harry wasn't so well-known, but the fact that he was seemed to be holding them back. She was barely used to the idea of her and Harry herself; she couldn't stomach the idea of everyone whispering behind their hands, pointing and goggling.

And then there was Ron. Hermione couldn't picture his reaction to the news. Perhaps he wouldn't care, perhaps he'd even be happy for them, but that wasn't typically his style. He usually chose to be jealous when there was nothing to be jealous about. 

This whole situation was new to her. True, she'd had a couple of relationships in her past, but neither had been this intense early on. She wanted to be with Harry every moment. At night, when she wasn't near him, she felt that ache, that longing. It was so intense it made her wish she'd never dropped Divination, so she could spend that much more time with him.

And that was saying a lot.

*

Hermione shot another glance at Harry. The two were sitting in the common room, pretending to read. In reality, they were waiting for it to empty so they could be alone. 

Harry's eyes caught hers. They widened, and his wiggled his eyebrows. Hermione giggled, then quickly buried her face into her textbook. He had been trying to make her laugh all evening, and he nearly got her every single time.

Harry yawned loudly. "I'm beat," he said.

Ron, who was sitting in between the two, shrugged. "Then go to bed."

Harry didn't reply for a moment. He said slowly, "Aren't you tired, Ron?"

"No, not really."

"Oh."

Hermione sighed, trying to hide her frustration. Why couldn't everyone just go and let them have time together?

Finally, finally, everyone began to trickle to bed. Hermione followed suit. "Well, good night, you two," she said, making her way to her dorm.

"Night," they replied in unison. 

She waited for another hour or so. The other girls had finally fallen asleep, and she was about to sneak out into the common room when she heard the softest knock at the door.

Hermione flew across the cold stone silently, knowing who was on the other side. She threw it open and grinned.

Harry returned her grin, then grabbed her hand. She held on tightly as he lead her downstairs into the common room. They were right in front of the gently burning fire when he spoke, "At last."

The fire had nearly died out. Hermione could just make out a handful of stars scattered about the sky through a window. And Harry was in front of her, his eyes reflecting content and what she hoped was love.

Her eyes closed as Harry's lips found hers. The pair stood there kissing, until Hermione's knees proved too weak to continue standing. They sank onto a squashy armchair.

Harry's hands were caressing her face, as he had done in the library. Hermione just held onto him, too scared to let go.

Eventually she stopped kissing him back. When Harry noticed, he pulled back too, looking at her questioningly. Before he could say a word, though, Hermione rested her head on his shoulders and closed her eyes again.

Harry kissed the top of her head gently before leaning his own head against hers. It was such a perfect moment.

And for a while, to Hermione, it was a perfect life.

~

See? Fluff! Lol. Sorry for the delay, I had tons of work to do, but the next chapter will be up shortly. 


	5. Secret Exposed

Thank you Thank you Thank you EVERYONE who has reveiwed so far!!! I love you very much for it! Lol. Sorry it's been a while, but this is the first bit I've had to write out before posting, so it took a while. I hope it's worth the wait! I'll try to be quicker with the next one.

A/N: More fluff! Not as much as before! Well, there's one bit that's kinda cheesy, but oh well. *smiles* And I think it turned out a bit longer than I wanted, but it ended in a good part and it picks up in a good part. 

Disclaimer: Do I really have to say that this these characters and all that belong to the wonderful J.K. Rowling? Didn't think so.

~~~

The weeks went by. Harry and Hermione met up each night for a secret rendezvous in the common room. So far, they had never been caught, though there were a few close calls. And, unfortunately, they were both exhausted. 

Ron noticed this, though thankfully he didn't make the connection. He merely assumed that Harry was tired because of Harry's duties as Quidditch captain and Hermione's intense work load.

One morning at breakfast, Harry fell asleep. His head slipped off his hand and hit the table with a loud bang. Ten minutes later, in the Transfiguration room, Ron was still in hysterics and Harry was still nursing the spot on his forehead. 

It wasn't only Harry who was taking a few unbidden catnaps between class. Three times in one of their History of Magic classes, he'd had to nudge Hermione awake. Luckily for her, Professor Binns was so used to students falling asleep in his class, he hadn't even noticed.

*

****

The first Quidditch match of the season had finally started. Hermione took her place wedged in between Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, eager to watch her secret boyfriend in action.

All three sported binoculars, though it was obvious that watching the game at a closer distance was not what any of them had in mind.

"Is it just me, or has Harry _grown up_ in these last few months?" Lavender asked suggestively.

"Huh?" Hermione said, peering at him across the pitch.

Lavender lowered her binoculars impatiently. "You know. Better looking?"

"Yes!" Parvati answered feverishly.

Hermione remained silent.

"Ron's not bad on the eyes either," Lavender went on. "What do you think, Hermione?"

"I think they're the same. Just Harry and Ron."

It nearly broke her heart to say so. He wasn't "just Harry" to her. Not anymore. 

Lavender rolled her violet-coloured eyes. "That's what happens when your best friends are boys," she said to Parvati.

"Look at Harry," Parvati said with a sigh. "I bet he could get any girl he wants."

_He _has_ the girl he wants! _Hermione wanted to shout out. She was so tired of keeping her relationship a secret! It was just so hard. But she knew it was for the best.

A sudden cheer from the crowds told Hermione that the game had started.

"Woo! Go, Gryffindor!" screamed Lavender. 

The game was intense. More than once, Hermione watched in horror as a bludger narrowly missed Harry's broom. But not ten minutes after it started…

"Gryffindor Seeker Harry Potter has caught the Snitch! Gryffindor wins!"

Pandemonium erupted in the stands. Hermione raced down to congratulate Harry.

The rest of the team was already practically piled on top of him, but somehow he had managed to extract himself.

"You were so great!" she exclaimed. She kissed each cheek once, but when she hugged him she whispered in his ear, "Common Room, 1:30, okay?"

She congratulated the rest of the team, kissing Ron on his cheeks, too. Someone yelled, "Party in the Gryffindor Common Room, right now!" and there was a mad dash to get back to the castle.

Hermione joined her roommates in preparing for the party. Normally she didn't take any extra steps to look nice, but now things were different. 

She pulled on her nicest Muggle clothing: a black skirt and an abnormally (for her) tight red shirt with quarter-length sleeves. She was just about to start sleeking down her hair when something happened.

Lavender whispered something to Parvati, who nodded and left the room. Lavender grinned at Hermione and said, "Let me help you with that."

"Okay. Thanks."

Lavender squirted the cream into her hands and began to run it through Hermione's thick hair. "So," she began conversationally, "When did you and Harry happen?"

"What?" gasped Hermione. She was stunned.

Lavender giggled. "Oh, come on! You two are so obvious."

"I-I don't know you're talking about," Hermione said, trying to sound nonchalant. Inside, though, she was panicking.

"Don't play dumb with me, Hermione. I _sort of_ thought you two were together—y'know, you're always together without Ron, and the look on your face when I said he was cute—but it didn't hit me until I saw you hug him after the game."

"Harry and I are friends, we've always gone places without Ron. And I've hugged him before," Hermione pointed out.

"I saw the look on your face! And his. It's so obvious. You totally gave yourselves away."

Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but her eyes met Lavender's in the mirror. She was busted.

Lavender squealed excitedly. "I knew it! I _so _knew it! Oh, I'm so happy for you two! You're adorable together. You have to tell me how you got together."

"Lavender, please, we don't want anyone else to know," Hermione pleaded.

"I won't tell a soul, not even Parvati, I swear!" Lavender squealed again. "You and Harry! Give me all the details!"

"Such as?"

"Oh, I don't know. First kiss! Who initiated it?"

Hermione ran over the details of their unexpected kiss in the common room, and explained how they were meeting up late at night.

"Wow," Lavender sighed dreamily. "I had no idea Harry could be so romantic! Is he a good kisser?"

Hermione thought back to the previous night where they'd kissed for a long time. Yes, he was a good kisser, but there was more to it than the kisses themselves. It was the way he held her so close, as though she'd fall off Earth's surface if he'd let go. Or the way they would laugh together softly, lost in a moment, or the way she felt exhilaratingly lost whenever she looked into his bottle-green eyes, and made her wonder if this whole thing was real, if two best friends could really fall in love.

But most importantly was the way he made her feel. She felt truly loved, like she meant the world to someone who had once been a complete stranger. For once, she was the chosen one.

"Yes. He's a great kisser," she replied. 

*

As Harry and the rest of the team entered the common room, they were greeted with cheers that made his eardrums explode.

"Wicked playing, everyone!" Neville Longbottom shouted.

"Great job, Harry!" yelled Colin Creevey, and a blinding flash went off.

Harry grinned ear to ear as the room shook with enthusiasm. He'd never say it out loud, but he was very proud of his game-saving catch.

Somebody shook a bottle of butterbeer and opened the lid, spraying everyone nearby. Drenched head-to-toe in the drink, Harry laughed out loud. He'd never felt better.

"To Gryffindor!" Seamus Finnigan cried out, raising a bottle in the air.

"To Gryffindor!" the room echoed. Bottles clanked together.

The crowd began to recount every play of the game, and Harry used this time to look for Hermione.

He found her at the back of the room, wedged in between two third years. She was drinking butterbeer and apparently listening to Ron's version of the story. Unaware of being watched, Harry was convinced she had never looked more beautiful.

He continued to stare at her. _Everything about her is perfect, _he thought. He held back a sigh, knowing how much wanted to kiss her and expose their secret to the world. But he couldn't.

Ron would be outraged. Betrayed. Though the break-up had been mutual, not to mention long ago, Harry privately thought that he, Ron, still had feelings for her. How would he react when he found out that his two best friends had gone behind his back and betrayed him? 

It wasn't just Ron, either. Dean Thomas had recently hinted that he was interested in her, too. Would he feel betrayed at their actions, too?

More than anything, Harry wanted to speak to her privately, but he knew better. He'd have to wait. 

In the meantime, he opened a bottle of butterbeer and sat back to enjoy the party.

*

It wasn't until a first year dropped off asleep and narrowly missed the fire that the others noticed the late hour. With a final cheer for the team, the rest of the students trickled off to bed.

Hermione lagged behind, pretending to clean up the mess. Harry caught her attention, signaling he'd be back as soon as the others fell asleep.

She waited for him for quite some time. It was almost two-thirty, she realized, it had been a long day, and they had been up late from the night before.

Hermione collapsed into a comfortable armchair by the fire and curled up. Just as started to drift off, someone gently ran a finger across her forehead.

For a split second, she thought she'd dreamt it. Then she sat up with a start.

"Harry," she mumbled, a grin spreading across her face at the sight of him.

"It's really late, I know. It took a while for Neville to stop talking," he said quietly. He kneeled by her chair, the light from the fire behind him illuminating his frame.

"I'm really tired," she said apologetically.

He nodded. "So am I. Guess we should call it a night?"

"There's something I need to tell you first. Lavender found out about us. She knows."

Harry was quiet for a moment. Then, "How?"

"She said she always thought it, but after the game we 'gave ourselves away.' I tried to deny it, Harry, but she didn't believe me. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he said reassuringly. "Someone was bound to find out sooner or later."

Hermione smiled; he smiled back. For a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her, but she decided to take the plunge and kiss him first.

It was a small kiss, but very tender. She pulled back and whispered "Good-night, Harry."

Yay chapter five!! See, I attempted humour in the first little bit. I really hope you all like it, and please R&R. It would be much appreciated. Ch 6 is coming soon!!


	6. Three Small Words

A/N: I know! I'm terrible. It's almost been one month. I'm really, really sorry!!! First I was insanely sick, and then I had too much work to do to post this. I feel bad. I hope that, if you've been waiting, it's not a let down. 

Thank you x 1000 to the people who have reviewed so far!!! You're the best!! And thanks again. J 

__

Disclaimer: You got it, I don't own any of this stuff (well, the plot, but that's it!), it belongs to the wonderful and talented J.K. Rowling.

*

Ron was starting to get impatient with Harry. He could tell there was something distracting Harry, he just didn't know what.

For instance, Divination. Now, it wasn't unusual for them to not pay attention, but it was strange for Harry to ignore Ron's cracks at the teacher. And for one brief, horrifying second, Ron had thought Harry was paying attention to the lesson, but later noticed the glazed-over look on Harry's face.

There was also the fact that he was bordering on exhausted. Harry went to bed around the same times as the others, but he slept in much later. At first, Ron had thought that Harry was worried about Quidditch, but when Ron asked him about it, Harry replied, "No. We've got the best ruddy team in the whole school."

During dinner one night, Ron became even more concerned with his friends' behaviour, as he noticed Harry wasn't eating anything.

"Pass the potatoes, will you, Harry?" he asked. Harry didn't move, nor did he give any indications he'd heard.

"Harry? Harry! Hello, Harry?" Ron said. He picked up a mini-carrot and chucked it at him. It hit Harry near his scar.

"What?" he said, finally coming to.

"What's going on with you lately? And would you pass the potatoes?"

"Everything's fine," Harry said automatically. "Why do you ask?"

"You're just…acting funny," Ron commented.

"Am I?" Harry replied, sounding alarmed.

"Maybe it's that girl he likes," Hermione piped up.

Ron laughed. That was probably it! The more he thought about it, Harry was acting as though he was in love with somebody.

"Who is it, Harry?" Ron asked keenly.

Harry turned red. "I'm not telling."

"Oh, come on!" Ron prodded.

"Do you like her a lot?" Hermione asked carefully, almost nervously.

"Yeah, I like her a lot. More than anyone else," Harry answered strangely, speaking slowly and not meeting their eyes. 

"Now you _have_ to tell us who it is," Ron said eagerly.

"I want to tell her how I feel, but I don't know if she likes me as much as I like her," Harry went on.

"She does," Hermione answered quickly.

"How would you know?" Ron asked.

"I don't," she answered, just as quickly. "I'm just guessing…I mean, who wouldn't….famous Harry Potter and all. I've got to go to the library. Bye." 

She said this in a big rush, and as she was running away, her face was distinctly pink. Ron watched her go, then turned to Harry.

"Wonder what's with her?"

*

Hermione paced the library excitedly, but felt as though her feet weren't touching the floor.

Harry liked her more than anyone, more than anyone he'd ever liked! Even Cho Chang, with whom he'd once been head over heels for.

_Maybe…maybe he's in love with me,_ she allowed herself to think. _And maybe he'll even tell me tonight!_

Hermione hugged herself happily, trying not to giggle out loud. She was fantasizing about what he would say to her when someone from behind clear their throat. Hermione spun around and found herself face-to-face with Ginny Weasley.

"Hi, Ginny." Ginny eyed her sternly, and Hermione felt her smile falter. "What's up?"

"What are you so happy about?"

"Er…I got 100 on my Transfiguration paper," she ad-libbed quickly.

"And that's why you look like you're about to explode with happiness?" Ginny questioned skeptically.

"Well, yeah. I worked really hard on it." Hermione hated lying to Ginny. The two had been close friends for about six years, and she was one of the few girls Hermione felt she could confide in.

On the other hand, Hermione knew about Ginny's massive crush on Harry, one she had had for many years. If she found out about them, she'd be devastated.

Ginny suddenly spoke. "Oh, get off it, Hermione. I'm not that thick. Come on, tell me. Why are you so happy?"

"I'm in love!" Hermione blurted out. Instantly she regretted her words.

Ginny's eyes widened. "With who?"

"Does it really matter?"

"Are you joking? Of course it matters! Who is it?"

Hermione opened her mouth, then shut it. What should she say?

"Sorry. I can't tell you that," she said finally.

Ginny's face clouded over with annoyance. "Fine," she said coolly.

"Ginny, please don't be upset. I really can't tell you. It's not you, I can't tell anyone."

"Fine," Ginny repeated stiffly. "See you later, then." She turned on her heel and left the library.

Hermione groaned. All the happiness she had just been feeling had deflated out of her like a balloon. _Here it is. Harry and I haven't told anyone about us—expect Lavender—and we're already getting negative repercussion_

No wonder we're keeping this a secret. Won't anyone _be happy for us?_

*

Harry sat impatiently in the common room. It was nearly midnight, Hermione had yet to show, and a group of first years were still sitting by the fire.

Harry glared at the group, then at his watch. It seemed as though time was standing still—or wait, was it…going backwards? He sighed and continued to stare at his watch, determined to speed time up.

Finally, he heard Hermione come down the stairs. Her eyes caught Harry's, but before either could react, Hermione turned to the first years.

"What are you lot doing up?" she asked, surprised. "It's after midnight! Go to bed."

"You're both still up," one boy said pointedly.

"We're seventh years. And I'm Head Girl." Hermione said. "Now get to bed." Grumbling, the group went up to the dormitories.

Harry grinned. "Nice work, Granger. Finally making good use of being Head Girl."

Hermione grinned back, waiting.

"I need to talk to you about something. But first…" his voice trailed off suggestively. 

Hermione took the hint, because she closed the gap between them. He kissed her full on the lips, his arms enclosing around her. One of her arms was around the back of his neck; the other was reaching up to his head. As they kissed, he felt her fingers run through his hair.

The two kissed for a while longer, but his mind slowly drifted to what needed to be said. He pulled back, then lead her to the couch.

"Hermione, tonight at dinner we were talking about relationships," he said slowly, aware that his voice was shaking slightly. "And I told Ron that I liked a girl a lot. More than anyone I've ever liked. And…of course, I meant you." He paused, then took a deep breath.

"Hermione, I love you."

~

These were the words she'd been dying to hear. He loved her! It was the first time someone other than her family had told her.

"Harry, I love you too." 

He exhaled with obvious relief. "Thank God," he mumbled.

She moved in closer and he put his arms around her. She lifted her face up to his, and he kissed her softly. 

She was loved.

Done! Well, this chapter, anyways. Again, I'm really sorry that I took forever in posting it. Please r & r, it would be much appreciated. And I promise, next chapter is coming soon!!!


	7. Heartbreaker

Yay! Here it is, in honour of the release of _Chamber of Secrets_ to video, here's chapter seven. This turned out a bit shorter than I expected and it kinda took a different route than I had anticipated, but that's ok. I hope you enjoy it.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, especially to RocketSolarCat, white dove, Fatima, army, Jo, Aimee, CarlyHP and nurdypurdy, my wonderful chapter six reviewers. You guys are **awesome!** Much love goes out to you. And the rest who reviewed, of course!! 

__

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. I don't.

*

Several weeks had gone by since that night in the common room. Things between Harry and Hermione had changed for the better. Ever since they'd said those three words, a new bond had been created between them. It was unlike anything they'd felt. 

To Hermione, the only bad thing about it was now, more than ever, she wanted to tell someone about what was going on between her and Harry. After all, he was the first person she loved. She hadn't been in love with Ron, not really. And though she had liked Viktor Krum a lot, it still wasn't the same thing.

This was true love.

*

"Okay! Okay, that's enough for today!" Harry shouted to the team. 

One by one, the members of the Gryffindor team landed on the pitch, co-captain Ron included. It had been their first team practice since Christmas break had ended, and for a team that had taken a few weeks off, they were still doing very well.

"We're still in first place," he reminded them all. "We don't have another match coming up for quite some time, but we still have to practice. It's my last year to win this Quidditch cup. We have to do it."

Ron nodded. "Right. It's my last year, too. But if we win against Ravenclaw, and then against Slytherin, it'll be ours."

"That's exactly why we have to practice! Malfoy'll be after it too. Slytherin won't win it." Harry looked around at his teammates, surprised to see how seriously they were taking him. "Right then, practice is over. Hit the showers, or whatever."

The team carefully filtered off the pitch, which was no easy task as it was covered in snow. Harry's thoughts were inside the warm castle, were Hermione was. He'd have a quick shower, because he had been sweating, then spend the evening doing homework. No, it wasn't the most romantic thing in the world, but at least he'd be with her.

He was still lost in thought when he crashed into Ron. "Oh! Sorry," he said, jolted back into the present. 

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you."

"About?"

Ron hesitated long enough to make Harry panic. _He knows! _Thousands of excuses flooded his mind as Ron chose his words carefully.

"Well, see…I'm not good at saying stuff like this, but…thanks."

"Huh?"

"For making me co-captain. I really appreciate it."

"Oh!" Harry nearly sighed with relief. "No problem. You deserve it."

"Not as much as you do," Ron said modestly.

Recently, in a move made out of guilt, Harry announced to the team that Ron was to be is co-captain. He'd told them it was because it was a little stressful to be the sole person responsible for the team, and that since Ron was his best friend as well as also in his last year, he should get to be co-captain.

Harry tried to suppress his overwhelming guilt and anxiety as they made their way upstairs. Yes, he loved Hermione very much, and he loved being with her, but it was putting a lot of pressure on him. 

Ron was still his best friend. Nothing had changed that. They were practically brothers. Ron's family was the family Harry never had. Lying to Ron also felt like he was lying to all of the Weasleys. The Weasleys, who had always helped Harry in any way they could. Mrs. Weasley loved him almost as much as her own children. ("_More_ than her own children!" Ron often said, though jokingly) His insides squirmed at the though of ever hurting the Weaselys in any way, especially after all they had done for him.

Harry shook his head quickly, trying to erase some of his thoughts. He didn't want to dwell too much on all of this.

__

I'm going to see Hermione soon, he thought instead. _My girl friend. The girl I love._ Normally these thought cheered him up, but tonight was an exception. 

By the time he reached the showers, Harry came to one conclusion:

They had to tell Ron about them. And soon.

*

Hermione and Harry were alone in the common room, as usual. Yet Hermione could sense this was not going to be a typical rendezvous of theirs. 

"What's the matter?" she asked patiently. He was pacing the common room uneasily, obviously wanting to get something off his chest.

"We have to tell Ron about us," he said unexpectedly.

"I know."

"I mean soon. Hermione, I can't do this anymore." He sank into a nearby chair, looking defeated. "He's my best friend. I can't keep lying to him like this."

She nodded. "I know," she said again softly. She got up from her arm rest of the couch and perched next to Harry. "I understand. And you're right. We have to tell him."

"But you realize once we tell him, everyone else will find out."

Hermione paused. "So, this won't be a secret anymore."

"No, guess not."

They lapsed into silence. Hermione was torn. As frustrating as it had been sometimes, she loved having a secret like this. It was just between them. No one except Lavender knew what was really going on.

On the other hand, they could be together openly. She wouldn't have to hide her feelings for him anymore. It would be a weight lifted off her.

"It was fun while it lasted," she said finally. "But I think it's about time we told everyone."

Harry nodded. "Yeah. That's what I was thinking." 

They smiled at each other. She leaned in to kiss him and fell onto his lap. They kissed for a few minutes, until he let go.

"This time tomorrow everyone will know about us," he said softly. "This is the last night we have to sneak around like this."

Hermione grinned. That would be a relief. She kissed him again, and suddenly couldn't wait for the next day. 

Everything would be different, but everything would be better. 

Tomorrow couldn't come fast enough.

*

She and Harry had been pretty quiet during dinner. As soon as the Great Hall emptied, they were going to tell Ron the truth.

"I'm stuffed," Harry said. It was Hermione's cue.

"Yeah, me too. Aren't you full, Ron?"

Ron shook his head. "No, not yet. Dessert's still to come, you know."

Hermione groaned inwardly and looked at Harry. He looked just as frustrated as she felt.

"Why don't you guys go on upstairs without me? I'll probably be here for a while," Ron said with a grin.

"All right," she said with a sigh. "See you in a bit?"

Ron nodded, because his mouth was stuffed with cake.

Together, Harry and Hermione left the Great Hall. "Well. That didn't go as planned," Hermione said.

"We just gave up too easily. We should've waited for him," Harry said.

"We'll wait for him here, then," Hermione said, waving her hand around the empty hallway.

"And whatever will we do to pass the time?" Harry asked teasingly.

She hit him playfully. "We can't. Not in the halls."

"We'll hear someone coming before they see us," he pointed out sensibly.

It was true. They would hear the rumble of several hundred students coming down the corridor before anyone would see him. So, she kissed him.

*

Ron suddenly wasn't hungry anymore. He'd tried to eat too much at one time, and now he felt ill. 

He pushed his plate away and decided to leave the Great Hall in search of Harry and Hermione. They'd have the run of the common room for a little while, if they went there now.

Ron set off eagerly to find them, going as fast as he dared on a full stomach. 

He turned the corner of an empty corridor.

*

Hermione let go of Harry and smiled. She was going to say how much she loved him, but then something over Harry's shoulder caught her eye.

Ron.

*~*

Oh no! Ron found out! _Dumdumdum!_ (Sorry. That was me, trying to insert dramatic and suspenseful music) So that's it, that's chapter 7. Chapter 8 will be coming soon! R&R would be very much appreciated!


	8. Fallen Friendship

Chapter 8 is here! Yay! I'm very pleased that you guys are anxious to hear what Ron has to say. That was the plan, yay plot twists! Thanks very, very much to VWChica (sorry I made you miss the game…), oneiros lykos, CarlyHp, Fatima, Jo, Lady Sunlight, Aimee, Flame-the-Phoenix, nerdypurdy and RocketSolarCat for revieweing!!! Thank you thank you thank you! You're all so sweet, it makes me really happy! 

__

Disclaimer: You all know by now I don't own Harry Potter or the others, J.K. Rowling does!! 

Oh! I almost forgot. It's pretty self-explanitory, but the first little tiny bit in the _italics_ is just a recap of the end of chapter seven; obviously, chapter 8 picks up after the second star thing. I put that little bit in so it would flow more smoothly. 

Now, after the longest intro ever, I give you chapter 8. Enjoy!

*

__

Hermione let go of Harry and smiled. She was going to say how much she loved him, but then something over Harry's shoulder caught her eye.

Ron.

*

"Oops," she said.

Harry whirled around, then went pale. "Uh…"

"_Oops?"_ Ron repeated, his voice dropping fiercely low. "Is that all you have to say? What, did you accidentally kiss him, or something?"

Hermione and Harry glanced at each other. Neither knew what to say, how to react. 

"What's going on here? Tell me," Ron demanded.

"We were…we just…" Harry began. 

"Just what? Ran into each other and decided to kiss?"

"Not exactly," Hermione said, her voice squeaky.

"Then what exactly?" Ron said, this time shouting. He was getting mad.

Harry cleared his throat. "Hermione and I…Ron, look, the thing is…"

Hermione looked at him. He looked panicked. He knew he had betrayed his very best friend and it was killing him. She had to say something.

"Harry and I are together now," she said boldly.

Ron gaped at her. He looked utterly shocked. Finally he managed, "Since when?"

"Since September."

Ron looked as though he'd been punched in the stomach. Never, in all the time the three had known each other, had Ron ever looked so hurt.

"September?" he asked.

They nodded. 

"Ron, we're really sorry," Hermione began.

"We didn't want you to find out this way," Harry interrupted. "We wanted to tell you, but, well…we just couldn't. We knew you'd be upset."

"Oh! And I wonder why that could be," Ron snapped sarcastically. "Could it be that my best friend has been kissing my ex-girlfriend for months and didn't even tell me? Or is it because the both of you have been lying to me?"

"Ron, please. We didn't want to hurt you!" Hermione pleaded. 

He just shook his head.

"It's not what you think it is, Ron," Harry said, trying a new angle. "We're not just fooling around. We're _together. _We really care about each other."

"Oh, like that makes it all better! I just don't believe it. I thought we were best friends."

"But we are!"

"No. We aren't. Not anymore." Ron looked at them one more time, then stormed out.

*

Ron stormed his way through the castle, not really seeing where he was going, not caring. His mind was reeling. Harry and Hermione! Together! Since September, and they didn't have the courage to say anything to him.

He slowed down once he recognized he was in a deserted part of the castle, close to Professor Trelawney's tower. To come across somebody else while there was a rare event. He was safe for now. 

The image of Hermione kissing Harry like that…them, standing close together, arms around each other…it just played over and over in his head until he wanted to kick something really hard.

Something tickled his cheek. Ron reached up and discovered it was a tear. Oh, great. Now he was crying. _Like this isn't bad enough…_

For a moment, he hated them. Both of them. Harry, his very best friend in the entire world, had betrayed him. The very last person in the world Ron thought would betray him actually had.

And Hermione…Ron was unsure. He wasn't entirely sure if his feelings for her were real or just left-over from before. But it didn't make that big of a difference. She had betrayed him, too.

Ron stood still, his body rigid with anger. Then the moment passed, and he no longer hated them. He was just really, really hurt. And alone.

Harry and Hermione had each other. Harry hadn't said the exact words, but Ron knew too well that Harry and Hermione loved each other. 

It was all making sense to him now. All those times that Ron could sense something was going on but wasn't sure what…_How could I have been so stupid?_ he thought angrily. _How did I not figure it out?_

Ron stayed in the empty hallway for quite some time, until he knew that if he didn't get a move on, he'd be caught in the halls after hours. As he walked, he dreaded running into them. He dreaded going back. Everything was going to be _so_ different than it had been a few hours ago.

Everything was going to be so different, period. No matter what they said to him, it wasn't ever going to be the same again. 

*

Harry paced the common room, waiting for Ron. Ever since he had caught them, a sort of sick feeling had entered Harry's stomach. And, as the hours went by and there was no sign of him, it began to grow larger.

__

That was the worst possible thing to have happened, he decided. _For him to catch us like that…_

Where is _he? He's been gone for hours. _

"Harry, there's nothing we can do," Hermione said quietly. "He'll be back soon. And when he does come back, there won't be much we can do."

"There has to be something! I mean, we can explain something to him."

Hermione sighed. "Harry, you know what Ron's like. He's going to need time to cool down before he'll give you the time of day."

"I guess you're right. But I'm still going to try."

Together, they waited in silence, barely looking at each other. Just as students began to trickle off to bed, the portrait swung open and Ron walked in.

Harry jumped to his feet. "Ron--"

Ron regarded him coolly. "Don't talk to me right now," he said sharply. Without waiting for a reply, he began to head for the dormitory. Harry followed.

"Ron, wait. We made a big mistake, all right? We know that! We're really sorry."

"I'm sure you are," Ron snarled.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Ron finally faced him. The expression in his eyes was unlike anything Harry had ever seen. "It means that you and Hermione stabbed me in the back and we aren't friends anymore. That's what it's supposed it mean." Ron strode off up the stairs and into the dormitory, slamming the door shut.

Harry must have been standing there, rooted to his spot, for quite some time, because Hermione finally got off the couch and stood beside him.

"Give him time. Talk to him in the morning," she suggested.

"Why bother? You heard him. 'We aren't friends anymore.' What else is there to say?"

"You don't believe that. I know you don't."

Harry turned to look her in the eye. "You're right, I don't." He sat on the stone steps leading to the dorms; Hermione joined him. 

"I didn't expect he'd be this mad," he said. 

"What do you think would've happened if he hadn't caught us? If we'd told him instead?" she wondered aloud, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I don't know. Guess we'll never know."

"No…I bet he still would have been furious, though."

"Probably." He gave a frustrated sigh. "I wish that I could take back this whole year. Start over, do things differently."

He felt Hermione flinch slightly. "You're not sorry that we…"

"No! No, God, no," he assured her quickly. "I just wish we had told him earlier. He'd be over it by now. Do you think he'll tell anyone about us?" he asked, switching topics.

"Eventually. Once he's calmed down, I guess."

They thought about this for a while, until Hermione gave a little yawn. "I'm going to bed now," she said, lifting her head off his shoulder.

"Yeah, me too. See you in the morning?"

"Of course." With a quick glance to make sure no one was watching, she kissed him sweetly. "Good night, Harry."

"'Night, Hermione."

*

Dawn came as it always did, but this time, Ron was actually up to see it happen. Before anyone else awoke, he crept out of the dorm and went downstairs. 

He hadn't slept much during the night. Images of Hermione and Harry together wouldn't stop flashing before his eyes, and the nasty things he'd said to Harry replayed in his mind.

__

"We aren't friends anymore."

Had he really meant it? Sure, he had been angry at the time, but now, after he'd had time to digest it, did he still mean it?

__

Yes. I still mean it. How could they have done this to him? Okay, so he wasn't in love with the idea of them as a couple, but he could've gotten used it to. Eventually.

__

Why didn't they just tell_ me?_ he wondered for the hundredth time. He might have been mad then, but it was nothing compared to how he was feeling now.

Ron surveyed the empty common room, thinking rapidly. A small part at the back of his brain nagged, _There's a way to fix this. It can all be salvaged. You can go back to being friends again and forget what they did to you._

But he knew he wouldn't be able to. 

*~*

Oh, poor Ron! He's just so mad. And sad. And confused. That's it, that's the end of the story. Haha, just kidding. No, the next chapter will be up soon. I hope you don't think Harry was acting too much like a girl in this chapter, because I do. So, please R&R. Thanks!! And no, my very long intro and closing comments aren't to cover up for the fact that this chapter was supposed to be much longer than it actually is. I just have a lot to say about this part of the story, and I didn't want to overdo the "Ron is hurt. He is mad," idea.


	9. Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Yay! More reviews! You guys are the best, I'm really glad you like my story and actually want to hear what happens next! That makes me really happy! Thanks especially to Bachy A, Danski, Silver Fawkes, Lady Sunlight, Jo, Fatima, Godric Gryffindor (I'll review your story shortly), Ramy, onerios lykos and Aimee!!! Love to you!

This chapter is a bit longer than anticipated, but oh well. I hope you enjoy it.

__

Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, everything [but the plot] belongs to J.K. Rowling.

*~*

Harry and Hermione sat together at breakfast that morning, but neither said much. Ron hadn't appeared yet, and they were getting worried.

"He'll be along soon," Hermione said, sounding unconvinced. "You know how much he loves food."

"Yeah," Harry replied.

They lapsed into silence. Harry felt ridiculous. Hermione was his girlfriend, shouldn't he able to make conversation with her?

Finally, the first bell rang. Time for Charms.

"I always hate Monday mornings," he commented as they walked along the corridor.

Hermione just smiled weakly.

As they entered the classroom several minutes later, they found Ron at last. He had pulled a chair over to Dean, Neville and Seamus's table, and now the four were wedged in cheek-to-elbow.

"Ron, what are you doing sitting over there?" Hermione asked, though it was painfully obvious.

"I'm sitting with my _friends_," Ron shot back.

Hermione looked at Harry, shrugged and they sat down together.

"Give him time," Hermione reminded him in a whisper.

"He's acting like a gigantic prat."

"I know, but he'll come around. Eventually."

Harry hoped she was right.

*

"So, really, why are you sitting with us?" Seamus asked for the third time. 

"Yeah, you never sit with us. What's going on?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"Glad you enjoy my company," Ron said dryly.

"We will if you tell us," Seamus threatened.

Ron sighed. "All right, fine." He cleared his throat and leaned in closer to the other three. "I'm sitting over here because I'm in a huge fight with Harry. And Hermione, too."

"What are you fighting about?" Neville whispered, wide-eyed.

"Well…" Ron lowered his voice. "I caught them together. Kissing in the hallway, right after dinner."

All three of the boys' mouths dropped open.

"No!" Dean exclaimed in a whisper.

"Yes. It turns out they're a couple. They've been together since September, and they didn't say anything about it. They've been lying to everyone."

"No!" Dean gasped again. 

Ron nodded. "It's true." 

All four boys turned around to look at Harry and Hermione. The couple was sitting close to each other, heads just barely apart. They were whispering about something and had serious expressions on their faces.

The boys turned around again. "Haven't you ever noticed that Harry always goes to bed late, and that they're both always tired?"

Seamus looked puzzled. "Well, that doesn't mean much."

"It does. I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing they wait until everyone else goes to bed and then meet up." Ron had figured this out sometime during the long night.

"You really caught them kissing?" Dean asked.

Ron nodded again. "With my own two eyes. And Hermione said that they're together, and Harry said that they really care about each other."

"Wow," muttered Neville.

"All right there, boys?" Professor Flitwick asked suddenly. He had been wandering the classroom, helping out students who were having trouble with the disappearing charm, but since he was so tiny, the boys hadn't seen him sneak up.

"Oh-oh, yes, Professor," Seamus said. "Just fine." 

Dean waited until Professor Flitwick had moved on to Parvati and Lavender until saying, "So…so…they're together?"

"Oh, no, I'd forgotten about that!" Seamus exclaimed. "Do you still…?"

Dean nodded. It was only then that Ron noticed the hurt expression on Dean's face.

"What?" he asked nervously.

"Dean really likes Hermione," Neville whispered.

Ron glanced over his shoulder at Harry and Hermione. Hermione had just made Harry's quill disappear; he was watching her with a mixture of awe and delight while she was laughing. The sight made his heart contract slightly with pain.

"I'm sorry, mate," Ron said to Dean, clapping him on the shoulder. "I guess you're another person who they betrayed."

*

By that evening, Harry was fed up with Ron's childish behaviour. He had tried dozens of times to get Ron to speak to him, but Ron ignored him.

__

Unless he wanted to insult me, that is, he corrected himself. He watched in resentment as his former friend sat with the other Gryffindor seventh-years. They'd whisper, look at Harry and start laughing.

It didn't take a genius to figure out the Ron had told the other three boys about him and Hermione. Neville looked like he didn't know what to say; Seamus shot him dirty looks and Dean looked as though he'd lost his best friend.

__

So he's turned them against me. Dean's upset because he likes Hermione and Seamus is upset because Dean's his best friend. Only Neville didn't seem angry with him.

Suddenly, Ron, Seamus and Dean burst into loud, raucous laughter. Harry couldn't take any more of it. He gathered up his belongings and started to leave, not really knowing where he was going. He just needed to get away.

"Off to see your girlfriend, Harry?" Seamus called out. Heads turned in the crowded common room.

Harry took a few steps closer to them. "Look, I've apologized to you a hundred times," he told Ron. "I'm through with it. And I guess you're right. We _aren't_ friends anymore."

*

Hermione and Lavender sat in the mostly empty library, pretending to study. What Hermione needed was someone to talk to who knew about her and Harry.

"It's getting ridiculous. I knew Ron would be a giant prat about it, but he's taking it one step too far," Hermione said over the top of her book.

"He told the guys?"

"Yes. He's got them thinking that Harry and I are the two worst people in the world for loving each other."

"He's just jealous. He'll get over it."

Hermione shut her book. "I don't know if he will. He's taking it really hard. It's tearing their friendship apart! I can't stand it. Maybe…maybe I ought to break-up with Harry."

Lavender laughed, though it sounded forced. "Good one, Hermione. But that's not really the sort of thing to joke about."

"I'm not joking about it," Hermione said quietly. "I'm serious. If I break-up with Harry, then they can go back to being friends."

"Have you gone mad? Hermione, you and Harry are in love with each other! You can't end it just because his friend is jealous."

"Ron's his _best_ friend. They're practically brothers. I couldn't live with myself if I knew I was the one responsible for breaking that up."

Lavender shook her head in wild disbelief. "Hermione, you'll be making a huge mistake if you do."

"I know…but it has to be done."

*

"Hermione? Is everything okay?" Harry asked quietly later in the evening.

"Hmm?" She had been gazing at something in the distance, but the sound of his voice had apparently snapped her out of her reverie.

"I asked if everything is okay," Harry said. He looked her over carefully. Something was definitely wrong.

"I'm fine," she answered quickly. 

"Are you sure?"

"Mm-hmm."

Harry sighed. He knew what was bothering her. "Look, I know this isn't the way we wanted everyone to find out about us, and I know that Ron's being a stupid git about it, but it'll work out. I mean, we're still together, right? It'll be okay."

Hermione made a squeaky noise and looked away, but Harry could see her eyes were filled with tears.

"Hermione, what's--"

"I need to get to bed, I'm exhausted. Good night," she said in a rush. She jumped up and nearly ran to the dorms. 

Harry sat there, slightly confused. Something was wrong with his girlfriend, and it was probably because of Ron. 

But why didn't she want to talk to him about it? Surely she knew that this was just as hard for him—if not harder?

He shook his head. _Maybe she just needs some time to think about it. She'll be fine in the morning._

*

For the second night in a row, Hermione did not get much sleep. All night long, she tossed in turned, her mind going back and forth on the idea of whether or not to break up with Harry. 

As much as it broke her heart, as much as she hated the thought of it, she knew she had to. She couldn't live with being the person responsible for breaking up a friendship like theirs. 

The following day was one of the hardest she'd suffered through. She couldn't stand to look Harry in the eye, because she knew she'd break down in tears. So, to avoid doing that, she'd had to avoid talking to him, period. 

It was torture. And what was even worse, she knew that after tonight, they wouldn't be together anymore. 

She waited until after darkness had fallen, waited until the common room was nearly empty, before even thought about what she was going to say. When she rehearsed it in her head several times, she decided it had to be done right now.

"Harry? Ron? Could I please speak to both of you? Over here by the couch," she called out.

Grudgingly, Harry and Ron came from opposite sides of the room to join Hermione. They shot each other lethal looks before turning their attention to her. Evidently, Harry was just as mad at Ron as Ron was mad at Harry.

"This is going to be hard," she muttered to herself. "Okay. Harry, Ron, you guys have been best friends for years now. You're like brothers. 

"But now you're fighting. Because of me being with Harry. Ron, we tried to tell you that we're sorry, and that we didn't mean for you to find out like that, but apparently that won't change anything.

"I can't be the one to break up your friendship. So that's why…" her voice trembled dangerously. "That's why, Harry, I…I can't be with you anymore."

"What?" exclaimed Harry and Ron in unison. Harry jumped to his feet, but Hermione could barely make out his profile beyond her unshed tears.

"Hermione, you can't be serious!" he said. 

"I'm sorry, Harry," she whispered.

"Ron!" Harry said, turning to face him. "Ron, we can still be friends, right? I mean, you'll get over this. It's not like you still have feelings for her, right?"

Ron took a long time to reply. "I don't know," he said quietly.

Harry turned back to Hermione, and when he spoke, she could hear the note of desperation in his voice. "Hermione—"

"I don't want to do this, but I have to," she said softly. "I'm so sorry." 

For one last time, Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry. "I love you," she whispered.

Then, she let go of him and ran for her dorm room, her face already streaming with tears.

*~*

There it is. I wasn't looking forward to writing the break-up. It wasn't fun, especially on the night of NFBM (T7S fans might know what I'm talking about…J/H?), but I survived. Hope you all enjoyed it. Sorry for the delay. If you r&r (well, actually, I guess just '&r') it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! 


	10. What Is & What Should Never Be

So here is chapter 10. I was ready to post a few days ago when I realized how short the chapter was. Then I discovered I'd forgotten to put in like half the stuff! Silly me.

As always, thanks a million to my reviewers, who include Bachy A, Observer, Ramy, Debatingqueen, alex, BabyJ5, Lady Sunlight, nurdypurdy and ears91. You're all very awesome and I love you all very much!!!!

Disclaimer: All characters and stuff belong to J.K. Rowling. Oh, and the chapter title is from a Led Zeppelin song (think I spelled the name right…).

Enjoy, and please r&r! 

~*~

By the next afternoon, the whole school was talking about what had happened. Somehow—and Harry strongly suspected it was Parvati and Seamus's doing—everyone had found out about his relationship with Hermione, and how she had ended it with him the night before.

As he walked down the corridor, making his way to Transfiguration, people whispered behind their hands and pointed at him. Everyone had pitying looks on their faces.

It was driving him mad. _Like this entire thing isn't bad enough,_ he thought.

He had lost his girlfriend, the love of his life. And it was all because somebody else was jealous of them and hated them together. For that very reason, he would be spending the next few weeks completely miserable. 

After the initial shock had worn off the night before, he'd shouted sarcastically at Ron, "Thanks for that one, mate!" and stormed upstairs. 

Then he was angry for quite some time, but eventually that had faded into sadness. Now, several hours later, he was only numb.

When Transfiguration started, Harry was surprised to find that he was sitting by himself. Ron was sitting with the other Gryffindor seventh-year boys, and Hermione wasn't anywhere in sight—in fact, she hadn't showed up to any of her lessons that day.

Harry felt his heart ache painfully as he glanced at the empty seat beside him, the one Hermione usually sat on. He missed her already, and they'd only been apart for a few hours.

__

Why did this happen? he wondered in disbelief. Yes, they had made a few mistakes. Yes, they had hurt their friends. But they loved each other—shouldn't their friends be happy for them?

His eyes flickered over to Ron, who was glancing at Harry. He could tell Ron was feeling guilty, but Harry didn't care anymore. He was the reason why Harry was feeling depressed. 

They made eye contact for a split second, and Ron gave him a feeble smile. Harry merely slid his view to the front of the classroom.

__

It's too late, Ron. The damage is already done.

*

"Are you okay, Hermione?" asked a gentle voice that evening. It belonged to Lavender.

Hermione sat up from her bed, where she'd spent the day crying. She hadn't had the heart—or the guts—to face Harry that day.

"I'm okay," she said weakly.

"Are you sure?" Lavender asked, her face full of sympathy.

"No. I'm not." Hermione took in a shaking breath. "How's Harry?" she asked in a whisper.

Lavender frowned. "He's not doing much better than you are. He came to classes today, but he was just…there. He didn't say anything. He didn't react. He looks really sad."

Hermione groaned and sank back into bed. Fresh tears started flowing. "It's all my fault!" she wailed. "Why did I break-up with him? I love him."

Lavender gently patted Hermione's back. "I know you do. But you said yourself that it had to be done. You wanted to save his friendship with Ron."

"Yeah, and look at what good it did me!" Hermione said, sitting up again.

Lavender shrugged her shoulders, apparently at a loss of words. "I'm sorry, Hermione," she said. "I know how you must feel."

Hermione started to sob, so Lavender put her arms around her. Just as she continued to cry into Lavender's shoulder, the door opened, and Parvati walked in.

"Hey, Parv," Lavender said.

Parvati said nothing.

"Parv? What's going—"

"Just leave me alone!" she shouted. She grabbed her book bag, then stomped her way to the common room.

"What was that about?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know," said Lavender. But she said it with such a strain in her voice, Hermione could tell Lavender knew something she didn't feel like sharing.

*

Ron glanced over the top of his Potions book, surveying the scene around him in the common room.

Everything was a complete mess. Ever since the school had found about Harry and Hermione's relationship—their former one, actually—tensions were beginning to boil over.

He watched as Harry came into the common room. Hermione stood up, ready to say something, but the former couple just looked at each other. Then, Harry passed by her and went to his room; Hermione sat back down on her chair and buried her face in her hands.

"Hermione…" Ron said sadly.

Hermione's head jerked up, and Ron saw that she was crying. "What do you want, Ron?" she snapped. 

"I'm sorry. You know that, right?"

Hermione studied him thoroughly. Then, "Okay." 

" 'Okay'?" 

"There's nothing more to say, Ron!" she exclaimed. "Okay, you're sorry. I understand that. But it doesn't really change anything, right?"

Ron didn't say anything.

"That's what I thought," Hermione mumbled. She, too, took off for her room.

__

Harry and Hermione have made a mess of things, he thought. _They lied to me. They betrayed me. Because of that, I'm not friends with Harry and Hermione anymore._

Seamus and Dean aren't friends with Harry, either. Seamus is mad because he thinks Harry stabbed Dean in the back, and now Dean thinks so, too.

The portrait opened suddenly and violently. Parvati came storming in, followed by Lavender.

"You're my best friend! Why didn't you tell me?" Parvati shouted.

"I couldn't! I promised I wouldn't tell anybody!" Lavender shot back.

"Oh? Since when do you not tell everybody everything? Is Hermione your best friend now?"

"Of course not! I just kept a secret for her and Harry! That's not a crime!"

"You should've said _something_ to me! I had to hear it from Pansy Parkinson!"

"Parvati, I told you I was sorry, but I promised them!"

Ron, along with the rest of the common room, watched as Parvati searched for a reply. Finally, she shouted, "I'm not talking to you anymore!"

"And _I'm _not talking to _you_!" Lavender shouted back.

They stormed off in opposite directions: Lavender to the dorms and Parvati out of the common room.

_So I guess that means Parvati and Lavender aren't friends anymore, either,_ Ron mused, gazing at the stairwell that led to the dorms. _And I'm pretty sure Parvati's mad at Hermione, too._

Ron surveyed the common room again. This time, he met Ginny's eyes. She was glaring at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Figure it out for yourself!" she hissed. She turned her back to him, and Ron sat back in his chair to think things over for a few minutes.

_Ginny's mad at me, but why? She's not really involved with this…except for the fact she's best friends with Hermione. And has a massive crush on Harry._

"Ginny."

She whirled around again. "This is all your fault!" she said angrily. With a final glare, she turned around and buried herself in her books.

__

This whole thing is ridiculous! he thought. _Look at what's happening, just because Harry and Hermione wanted to be together!_

Friendships were falling apart. Best friends were turning on each other. Years of friendship had gone down the drain in a matter of a few days. 

But Ron had to admit a few things to himself. For instance, despite what was being said in the halls, he was sure that Hermione hadn't known about Parvati's crush on Harry, and that Harry hadn't purposely hurt Dean.

__

Or anyone else, he thought, unbidden.

Parvati, as far as Ron was concerned, was just being stupid. She was jealous because the guy she liked was with someone else.

__

This isn't right. None of this is. Everyone's acting like complete gits, me included, Ron realized. _Harry and Hermione did make some mistakes, but they apologized. They're sorry. _

They shouldn't have had to be torn apart because of everyone else. Ron knew this.

But they were.

Ginny was right. It was his fault. If he hadn't said anything to the other Gryffindor boys, most of the arguing going on now wouldn't be taking place. Ron had to do something about it, he knew.

He was the one who started it, so he had to be the one to fix it. 

~*~

Yay chapter 10! Lol. I like this chapter, it was fun to write. I like the title, too. And good news if you like my story: I **may** be expanding it! Yay!! Don't know for sure, but maybe! Hope you enjoyed my story, please review!


	11. Nobody's Fault But Mine

Wow! I have a lot to say. But first…woo hoo! I have over 100 reviews! I'm so very excited, I really wanted to get 100 for this story. And it's all because of you! Thank you so so so much to my reviewers, particularly to holmesdata, alex, Fan-Freak-Hp4ever, great marauder, Dark Child Productions, cyberfrogX, Yami's Girl Forever, Tripgrl3, oneiros lykos, ears91, Another, Ramy, krazymelmo5385, Silver Fawkes, jeangab057, Fatima, RocketSolarCat and clyde, who reviewed chapter 10. If anyone else reviewed recently but I didn't list you, I'm sorry!! 

This story took a turn I did not plan for and this chapter is the result. But oh well. It'll take me a while to write the last chapter, since I changed the original story a lot. I hope you all like it.

I admit, That 70's Show gave me an idea for this chapter…if you've seen the last few episodes, you'll understand what I'm getting at.

__

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K Rowling does, lucky her. And the title is yet another Led Zeppelin song, which I also don't own.

Please r&r and enjoy!

*

A few days passed, yet nothing had changed. And as much as she hated the thought of it, it was time for Hermione to continue on with her life. She couldn't avoid him forever. She couldn't afford to miss any more classes.

"I'm glad you're coming back to class, Hermione," Lavender said one morning.

Hermione smiled slightly. "Thanks. I don't really want to, but I have to. I can't hide up in my room forever."

"No, you can't." 

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah."

Since the break-up, and since the downfall of Lavender and Parvati's friendship, Hermione and Lavender began to grow close, and Hermione was grateful for it. It was nice having someone to talk to, since no one else was there for her.

They walked in silence to Snape's cold dungeon. She observed the classroom and saw that Harry was sitting in his usual spot. Hermione decided to pull a chair up to Lavender's work station, but Snape put a stop to that one in a hurry.

"Miss Granger, I believe you sit over _there_, with Potter and Weasley."

"Professor, I—"

"Miss Granger, there is a seating plan in this class, and if you don't follow it, I will be taking ten points from Gryffindor."

"Professor—"

"Silence, Miss Brown."

Lavender shrugged helplessly as Hermione slinked to the back of the classroom. The entire class watched as she took her seat beside Harry.

She glanced at him slightly. He was pretending she wasn't there by means of searching for something in his bag. The Slytherins noticed this and began to titter with amusement.

Hermione's eyes stung with tears as she tried to ignore the Slytherins. It was too hard to be sitting next to Harry and not talking to him. Worse, he didn't even want to talk to her. They hadn't spoken since she'd whispered, "I love you," that fateful night.

"Ooh, look, Granger misses her boyfriend!" taunted Pansy Parkinson from a few seats away.

Hermione's face burned with humiliation as the Slytherins laughed louder. She turned away from Pansy, all the while thinking _Don't cry in front of them. Don't cry. Don't cry._

She didn't want to admit that Pansy was right.

*

Harry was convinced that no one could be as miserable as he was. He had been dumped. By the girl he loved. Everyone in the entire school—teachers included, it seemed—knew his business. He wasn't friends with Ron anymore. Or any of the Gryffindors, for that matter.

As mad as he was at Ron for causing the split, he missed him. He missed having someone to talk to, someone to laugh with. He wanted to be friends with Ron again, especially if it meant that he could have Hermione back.

__

I can't have Hermione until I'm friends with Ron. But I don't see myself being friends with Ron until I have Hermione back. 

I'm in trouble either way.

Harry rounded the corner, not paying attention to where he was going. Which is why he nearly crashed into somebody.

"Whoa! I'm sorry, I wasn't—"

It was Hermione.

"Oh. Um, hi," he mumbled, trying to avoid her eyes.

"Hi."

They stood there, trying not to look directly at each other without feeling awkward. But it didn't work.

"So, how have you been doing?" she asked finally.

"All right, I suppose. You?"

"Okay."

He nodded, then looked up straight into her eyes. They were their familiar brown, but there was definitely something missing. The spark was gone.

__

So she's just as miserable as I am, he realized. This brought him neither satisfaction nor grief.

"Well, I have to go to Arithmancy now, so, I'll see you later."

"Yeah. Bye."

"Bye."

He watched her go, knowing that a few weeks ago, he would've walked her to her class, given her a quick good-bye kiss and run to Divination.

But now, he realized sadly, the only thing that he actually got to do from that list was the latter.

__

It's over. Get over it. Get over her, he thought to himself sharply. Then he sighed, knowing that getting over Hermione would be next to impossible.

*

That evening, Ron decided that it was finally time to confront Harry. After days of not wanting to speak to him, it was finally time to make amends. 

Ron took a deep breath, then turned to Harry.

"Look, Harry, I know you hate me right now."

Harry glanced up from the Quidditch diagrams he was making. "I wouldn't say hate. Exactly."

Ron took this as an invitation. He sat down across from Harry. "I deserve it. I've been acting like a huge git."

"Can't argue that."

"It's just that…well, I was really, really mad. You guys lied to me. You betrayed me. I think I was allowed to be a little mad."

"A little?"

"I know I went overboard."

Harry sighed and dropped his quill to the table. "Ron, we've told you a thousand times, we're sorry. I'm done apologizing, all right? That's pretty much all I have to say to you."

"I'm sorry, too. Really. I was just so mad…I didn't know how to react. But I didn't mean for you guys to break-up."

"Yeah, well, we did."

"And it's nobody's fault but mine."

"Yes, it is."

"And I'm sorry."

"You already said that."

"But I am."

"See how annoying it is to apologize to someone over and over again, but it doesn't make a difference to the person you're apologizing to?"

Ron considered this. "Yeah, it is."

Harry gave him a half-hearted shrug, then picked up his quill.

"I didn't mean all that stuff I said before. I want us to be friends again," Ron said quietly.

"I do too, Ron. And I guess we can. But it'll take a while. You know?"

"Yeah, I understand." Ron stood up to leave; then, struck by a new thought, he sat back down.

"If you two love each other, then you should be together."

Harry looked up and said sharply, "I don't love her anymore."

Ron's jaw dropped open. "What?"

"I don't love her anymore," Harry repeated.

"Oh, come off it, you prat. Of course you love her."

"Okay, maybe I do. But I shouldn't. If she and I can't be together, then what's the point in loving her?"

"But—you don't really—how could—" Ron sputtered, completely at a loss for words.

"You see? There isn't a point. She broke up with me, Ron. We're not together anymore. Why bother loving her still if it's all going to be for nothing?"

"You can't be serious."

"I am."

"So that's it, then? You're just going to give up, just like that?

"Yes."

~*~

So here's chapter 11!! I was flip-flopping between the title I have now and "He Stopped Loving Her Today." I don't know which is better. If you want to tell me which you like better, that'd be way cool. See? I kinda got inspired by T7S with the whole I don't love her anymore thing But my way's different, kinda. Still…here's another disclaimer: _I don't own anything from T7S, but really, I wish I did. _Hope you all liked the chapter, the next one is the last one! 


	12. Solitaire

Finally! I'm so sorry about the major delay in this chapter. Major crazy delay, and it isn't even that long (the chapter). Sorry about that, but just keep in mind that it was written after I planned out the entire thing…so yeah…

Wow!!! You guys are so so so good to me. This could take a while, but a huge thanks to RedPhoenix, oneiros lykos, Ramy, alex, jeangab057, Muirnin, Tony, ears91, clyde, cyberfrogx, Bachy A, nerdypurdy, wicked-women (yay t7s! best show!), Fatima, BabyJ5, takari4ever7, usha88, Canadian Crow (yay Canada!), andrea, TJ, hpfreak21 and RocketSolarCat. You guys keep me inspired to write more, and for that, a huge **thank you** goes out to all of you…and everyone else who reviewed, too.

__

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry. Boo. J.K. does, though. 

P.S. Title is from the Neil Sedaka (sp?) song! Enjoy! 

~*~

Harry sat alone in the library. It had been several days since he'd told Ron he didn't love Hermione—maybe even several weeks. He wasn't sure. All he _was_ sure of was that he was completely and utterly sick of his solitude.

Ron had almost given up on him, and Harry didn't blame him. He was becoming impossible to deal with, and he knew it. Who wanted to spend their time with someone who wasn't really there?

Harry reflected on what he had said to Ron. _"I don't love her anymore." "If she and I can't be together, then what's the point in loving her?" _

That had been a lie, of course. He _did_ love Hermione. He knew he would love her forever. She was his best friend. The love of his life. He knew too well that he couldn't just suddenly fall out of love with her. 

Not that he hadn't tried, of course. There were times when he wanted to stop loving her, because maybe, he thought, he'd be less miserable that way. There were also times when he wished he could go back in time and stop himself from falling in love with her, just to avoid feeling like this.

To the world, Harry was adamant about distancing himself from the whole situation. The school watched as he blatantly ignored her during class, and everyone was whispering behind their hands about the change in his friendship with Ron. 

What they didn't know was that he'd take her back in a heart beat.

Though he wasn't a stranger of being the subject of the school's gossip, this was the first time he would have to deal with it alone. Ron and Hermione had always been there for him. No matter what, at least one of them had stuck by him, and he had always made it through it.

This time, he wasn't so sure that he could.

*

Hermione hovered around the library, trying to keep hidden from Harry. She silently debated with herself whether or not she should go say something to him.

Ron had told her what Harry had said. Understandably, she had been crushed. She'd sobbed into her pillow for hours.

Yet before she'd decided that her fate was set in stone, she'd come to realize something. Yes, Harry was avoiding her. He ignored her in front of everybody and rarely acknowledged her presence. But she'd realized that he still loved her. She still had a chance.

She could see it in his eyes. Over their years of friendship, she had become very good at interpreting the expressions in his eyes. Whenever she looked into them lately—rare as those opportunities were—she could see that, contrary to what he had said, he still loved her.

And she definitely still loved him.

She smiled to herself, thinking of recent days. Harry mostly pretended she didn't exist, but he looked at her whenever possible. He obviously wasn't as sneaky as he thought he was, because Hermione had caught him many times.

__

Okay, then. I'll just go over there and talk to him. There's nothing to lose and everything to gain. What am I waiting for?

She pushed off from the bookshelf she was leaning on and strode over to him. He looked up as she sat down across from him.

"Hi, Harry," she said softly.

"Hello, Hermione," he answered formally. 

She bit her lip. It hadn't occurred to her how much it would effect her to hear him speak her name. It also shocked her slightly to hear the coldness in his voice.

__

Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe I should leave him alone for a while.

"Do you want something, or…" Harry's voice trailed off.

"No. I mean…yes, I do."

"Well?"

"Well…" she took a deep breath. "I know you're really mad at me. I don't blame you one bit."

"Uh-huh," he replied, scribbling notes from his Divination book.

"And I'm really sorry I hurt you. I wish I could take it back, but I can't."

Harry almost smiled. "Yeah, I know."

"Since I can't, I was thinking that maybe we could go back to being friends again," she said slowly.

Harry's familiar green eyes locked on hers, searching for something. "Just friends?" he asked.

She nodded. "Friends."

He studied her for a few moments, then said, "Yeah, all right."

"Good."

A beat of silence passed. Harry went back to writing his notes. Hermione stood up, feeling that while she may have accomplished something, the conversation didn't feel completely right.

"You know that I still love you, right?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Harry's head jerked up. "What?" he demanded.

"I…nothing. See you later."

Hermione fled from the library.

*

"Dean? Can I talk to you for a moment?" Harry asked the next day in the boys' dorm.

"Sure," Dean said warily.

"I wanted to talk about this whole Hermione thing. She and I were together after you said you liked her, so we never actually—"

Dean cut him off. "Yeah, I know. Hermione told me a few days ago."

"Oh?"

"Yes. She apologized, and we had a nice talk. It's all okay now."

"Oh. Good." Harry hesitated, then said, "Did she mention me at all, or…"

Dean shrugged. "Not really."

"Oh," Harry said again. 

"What's the deal with you two? Are you going to get back together?"

It was Harry's turn to shrug. "I doubt it."

Dean raised his eyebrows. "You really think it's over for you two?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Why? Do you want to go after her?"

"She _is_ single now."

"She is."

"But I wouldn't do that to you."

Harry grinned for the first time in a long time. "Thanks, mate."

"Oh, and I've talked to Seamus. And Neville. Even Parvati. I explained to them everything Hermione said. Seamus and Neville are cool with it."

"What about Parvati?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "You know how she is."

Harry laughed. He knew. "I appreciate this, Dean."

"It's no problem. I figured…with graduation in a few months…"

"Yeah."

"Well, I've got to go now. Bye, Harry."

"Bye, Dean."

Harry watched him go, then sank onto his bed, lost in thought. What luck he had run into! He and Ron were becoming friends again; Dean had not only forgiven him, but also got Seamus and Neville to forgive him, too. And Dean promised not to go after Hermione.

__

Hermione.

He groaned at the thought of her name. Had she really said she still loved him, or had he been imagining things?

__

No. She said it. Why would she go running out of the library like that if she hadn't said it?

But if she does _love me still, why does want to be "just friends" with me?_

Somehow, though, he knew Hermione didn't mean it. He realized that she was probably trying to get them talking again, and put the whole situation behind them. 

"This is so stupid," he mumbled.

__

I want to be with her, she wants to be with me. 

So why_ aren't we together?_

~*~

Ok! This time, the next chapter **is** the last chapter. Sorry about before, but another chapter needed to be added before the last one. So..please r&r, and if you do, love, love, double love! J 


	13. All I Need is You

With a day until the arrival of _Order of the Phoenix_, here's the final chapter of _All I Need Is You._

As always, a massive **thank you **to everyone who has ever reviewed my story, and double the massive thanks to the people who are regular readers! You people—all my reviewers—are what kept me inspired to continue on with the story. Kudos to: clyde, onerios lykos (Clay's performance of Solitaire inspired chapter 12! Lol!), Ramy, cyberfrogX, Kermittounette, Trackstar Tomboy, Bachy A, ears91, coopie (I will e-mail you soon!!), flute, usha88 and Miss Shirley-Blythe, who reviewed chapter 12.

__

Disclaimer: The usual. I don't own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does.

Enjoy!

*~*

Slowly the weeks dragged by. Little by little, Harry and Hermione were speaking again. It was small talk and very superficial, but at least it was something.

Hermione was mildly surprised that Harry hadn't done _something_ about that day in the library. She knew he'd heard her, too. If he really loved her, why had he ignored such an opening?

__

Ron! That had to be it. Maybe Harry was unsure that he and Hermione could be together again while still be friends with Ron. 

She tried to ignore the fact that her brain was screaming "That doesn't make sense! Everyone's friends again, it's all fixed." 

Instead, she jumped up from her seat in the Great Hall and marched out the door. "Ron! Ronald Weasley!" she shouted.

Ron, who was barely twenty paces away, turned and shouted, "What?"

"We need to talk!" she shouted still as she closed the gap between them.

"About what?" he yelled back, though she was now a foot away from him. He was grinning.

"So this is a joke to you! I'm serious here, Ron!"

"Hermione—"

"Just listen to me, okay? Tell Harry that you guys can be friends again even if he and I are together!" she demanded.

"Hermione," he tried again.

"Shush! Promise me you will, okay? Promise me."

"Hermione!"

"What?"

"I did."  
"What?"

"I already told him that."

"You did?" Hermione gasped. "When?"

"A while ago. That night he said he didn't want to love you if you couldn't be together."

Hermione paused to think. "So why haven't we gotten back together yet?"

Ron rolled his eyes and shrugged. "How on earth am I supposed to know that?"

"You're Harry's best friend!"

"I used to be. _You're _his best friend now."

"I am not!"

Ron nearly laughed. "Well, I guess that much is true!"

Hermione felt tears sting her eyes. "Ron!" she exclaimed, giving him a little push. "That isn't funny."

"Look, Hermione, this whole thing is giving me a headache. Yes, I made a mess of things, but I did my part in fixing it up. I've tried everything I can think of, but now I'm giving up. If things haven't been fixed now, they probably won't ever get fixed."

Hermione's unshed tears suddenly overflowed as the truth set in. "You're right," she said, her voice shaking. "It's really over, then, isn't it?"

Ron nodded and wrapped her in a big hug. "I think it is, Hermione."

*

Ron felt very sorry for Hermione, but couldn't help but hope that the whole mess was on its way into the past. Indeed, he felt sort of queasy every time he thought of what was going on between his two best friends.

_And everyone else, for that matter,_ he thought dryly.

Ron collapsed on his bed late that night, completely exhausted. He was drifting into a nice sleep when the door opened. 

"Hey, Ron," Harry greeted. He crossed the room and began to search for something in his trunk.

Ron grumbled something non-affirmative, wishing Harry would leave so he could get some sleep.

No such luck. "What'd you do today?" Harry asked, still rummaging.

"Oh, the usual. You know. Whatever." Ron rolled over and tried to block out Harry when something sprang into his mind.

What if Harry had seen Ron hugging Hermione in the hall a while ago? What if he saw them, and jumped to conclusions?

_He'd probably knock me out, that's what he would do!_

"What did you do today?" Ron asked, trying to keep his voice casual.

"The usual. I made more diagrams for the final next week. I really think we're going to win it," Harry said enthusiastically. "Aha! Got it!"

"What were you looking for?"

"This," Harry said, holding something up. Ron rolled over again and saw that Harry was holding up an old copy of _Quidditch Through the Ages._

"You're sounding awfully cheerful today," Ron commented, suddenly suspicious. "What's up?"

"Nothing. I'm just happy again."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Well, almost."

Ron studied him for a moment, and a new inspiration sprang into mind. It was a long shot, but just maybe…

He jumped out of bed, strode across the room and punched Harry as hard as he could in the shoulder.

"Ow! Ron! What was that for?"

"You're such an idiot!" Ron yelled. "I can't take it anymore!"

Harry massaged his shoulder, shooting Ron a look of both confusion and annoyance.

"Just get back with Hermione already! Do it right now or I'll punch you again, even harder."

"Ron, I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because…because…"

"Because?"

"I don't know, okay?"

"Harry, _she loves you._ You love her. It isn't that complicated! Go make up with her before she moves on."

Harry remained silent.

"She told me today that it's really over between you two. Now, I don't know if that's completely true yet," he added, seeing the colour drain out of Harry's face, "but it will be soon if you don't do something about it right now."

Harry stood up, threw the book onto the bed and dashed to the door. He was about to swing it open when he stopped and turned to face Ron.

"Ron…thanks."

Ron smiled. "Anytime."

*

Harry raced down the spiral staircase, hoping Hermione would still be in the common room. He leapt off the last two stairs and saw that, though the common room was mainly empty, Hermione was still there, doing her homework.

Colin Creevey and his friends were still up, too. Harry joined the group and spoke to Colin in a hushed voice.

"Colin, do you mind clearing off for tonight? I need to talk to Hermione about something very important."

"Sure! Of course, Harry!" Colin exclaimed eagerly. Within seconds, he herded his group up the stairs and out of sight.

Hermione looked up at the commotion. "What's going on?" she asked Harry.

"I asked them to leave. I need to speak to you."

"All right."

Harry paused and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry about the last few weeks. I've being acting really stupid. I was just angry about us and the fact that we broke up. But then I…well, you see, the thing is…" Harry's voice trailed off, unsure of what to say next.

Then it came to him. He took another breath to steady his voice. "Hermione, I love you, and all I need is you. If you love me too, then we should be together." 

~*~

Hermione's jaw dropped open. Was he kidding? Was this just some fabulous dream? She was almost afraid that it was, because she wanted it to be real that badly.

Harry watched her anxiously. She knew she had to say something.

"Oh, Harry, of course I love you!" she blurted out. She jumped up and nearly flew into his arms. 

She knew she wasn't dreaming.

They kissed frantically, as if making up for lost time. They could both taste her tears of joy, which were streaming down her face.

"What made you change your mind?" Hermione asked a few minutes later.

He smiled at her and gently brushed her tears away with his thumb. "Let's just say I finally got some sense knocked into me."

She kissed him sweetly. They were together again! This time, it was real. No more secrets, no more lying. Everything was going to be out in the open, the way it should be.

And they both knew it was bound to last a lifetime. 

THE END

~*~

Well, that's it! That's the end. I really hope you liked my story. I've had a lot of fun writing it. Look out for author's notes for this story, which include more thank you's and, more imporantly, a sneak-peek at my next _Harry Potter _ffstory! (Shamless plugging, I know) It's coming soon! 


	14. Thankful AN

Here is a complete list of all my reviewers. Wow!! Thanks, that's quite a big list (over 60 people!) In chronological order, thank you to:

MidnightKat

onerios lykos

Maree

RocketSolarCat

BabyJ5

andrea

White Dove

Beanie

lily

Lil' Hermione

potter 

Jo

Fatima

Jess

Midnight Goddess

Another

thefly

infinitykat

melloyellowgirl

Twistyt_2001

usha88

army

Aimee

CarlyHP

Nerdypurdy

Bachy A

Tripgrl3

VWChica

Lady Sunlight

Flame-the-Phoenix

Danski

Silver Fawkes

Godric Gryffindor

Ramy

taylor

observer

Debatingqueen

Alex

ears91

Red Phoenix

Fan-Freak-Hp4ever

Great Marauder

Dark Child Productions

CyberfrogX

Yami's Girl Forever

Krazymelmo5385

Jeangab057

clyde

Muirnin Cocon

Tony

wicked-women

takari4ever7

Canadian Crow

TJ

Hpfreak21

Kermittounette

Trackstar Tomboy

coopie

flute

Miss Shirley-Blythe

Chrismking208

Lady Sunlight so kiss my ass (I think it's the same person, but just in case you're not….)

lovelyinsanity

I hope I didn't leave anyone out. So, again, one final time thank you so much for reading and liking my story! Almost every single one of the reviews was positive and so sweet, so that's really, really great. Extra thanks to the people who have reviewed a number of times, who read the whole story, that means a lot to me! 

Now, excuse the sentiment (I've graduated recently, I'm a little emotional). My next story is called "Fall Into Me." I was gonna put in a little bit here, but instead, I've posted the two things at the same time. Actually, FIM was first, so please, please, if you want, check it out and I'll love you for forever and a day. Thanks again so much! 


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